![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
15th Anniversary review: Getter Love!!
Dec. 4th, 2013 11:41 amIn January 2002, following a rental of Snowboard Kids 2 and Mario Party 3 by my sister, and the resulting nostalgia from having played the former three years earlier, I started writing something I would eventually title Chronicles of 7th Grade, in which I would detail as much as I could remember on each day that I had been in 7th grade. Within weeks, though, as much as I wanted to continue, I had lost focus and found myself barely able to press on. However, I did write certain memoirs starting the following September, focusing on the present, but it wasn't until I started this blog, recommended to me by the now-defunct Adalia Glenys, that I really stayed on the ball with the here and the now.
The whole time, I did plan on continuing Co7G, but that wouldn't happen until February 7, 2008, due to a certain game I discovered on Wikipedia's list of Nintendo 64 games, which had a rather unusual title, a sex-appeal-oriented cover, and just so happened to be released in Japan (and only there, quite ironically) on December 4, 1998.
And that game, was Getter Love!! Panda Love Unit!
-----
Well, it was yet another year from there before I bought my copy of the game on Ebay, to be saved for until I'd finish hosting each entry of Co7G the following summer, before I would commemorate with a marathon that would end up cutting into the following October. From there on, though, due to the amount of free time that I've had and still have from being unemployed, it's been something I play simply to kill time, such as when I'm waiting for responses to online messages I send.
-----
First thing I should mention, is that for whatever reason, if you're playing this on an emulator, you won't be able to see anyone's eyes or mouths most of the time, except for in cutscenes or any poses compatible with only one expression (such as when Meifa shouts at you or puts her hands together). It has mostly to do with emulators; the multi-system emulator Xe is supposed to have fixed that, but it's been defunct for a few years now. In any case, this is why many screenshots and gameplay videos feature characters without certain facial features; this does not happen on legitimate copies, and is exactly why I bought one instead of playing a ROM.
Sucks, too, since this game currently doesn't exist in any language other than Japanese. It would be nice to play a translated ROM version of this game, where I can actually understand what everyone says at any given time, and which would also enable anyone interested to write fanfiction. If you ask me, though, that wouldn't be really worth it at the cost of important features, unless one could write the translated text data onto a game pak. (Not that anyone's written anything anyway for most already fan-translated games, such as Wonder Project J2.)
-----
As for the actual game itself, I'm not gonna go into all the mechanics or the characters, just what's worth noting. But, in a nutshell, this game is for assholes! You need to be the first one to secure a relationship, and that means doing everything you can to screw with those of your opponents, who will also do the same kinds of stuff with you. Soil 'em up, wear 'em down, steal their shit, give 'em diarrhea so that they can't do anything worth a damn, cancel their dates, and do everything you can to make sure they don't say three certain words to anyone before you do.
The main objective (at least for Normal mode; I do understand that there are several multi-player modes) is to build up a relationship with one of seven girls within the span of two weeks (a total of 42 turns), and then be the first to confess your love to your girl of choice. Or, if you're going for the gusto, keep building up your relationship, and let her confess to you when you're not on a date, although AI players will not ever likely do this. Or, you can also "win" with a certain bad character if the game drags on for both weeks and no one is able to cash in with anyone.
Really, that last method results in a draw, but the above paragraph only covers for the game itself. Computer-controlled players have incentives only to try to win, but when you win, you save all scenes and whichever ending you've seen for that playthrough to a collection that you can build up. You don't even need a memory pak for it, although you do need one if you want to be able to save your game between each day.
What these are, are five cutscenes and four different endings for each main girl, plus one cutscene that you see when stalker Reika Kongouji finally leaves you alone after harassing you for three whole turns and the aforementioned ending with her. Reika aside, each girl has a cutscene announced by host Alfonso Roberto Martini during the first week of the game, one random cutscene if you take her to the right place on the map and get lucky, one if she invites you to her house, and one each at the beach and the local Shinto shrine. There are also fifty different topics that you can gain from certain people (or steal from anyone carrying it) to bring up during a date.
Personally, I prefer to clear all my data whenever I come back to the game after a period of not playing it, and also to play for a solid hour or to. They make things all the more challenging, which is kinds the point of playing a game to begin with. However, I might consider buying a working memory pak once I have a job and less free time on my hands.
-----
Starting with aspects I don't like about the game, there are the computer-controlled players, who naturally aren't as smart as you are. As one would expect, they run on a pre-determined code, but you can strategize and exploit them as you need to. They stand enough of a chance in the whack-a-nerd minigame (which takes place on random dates) and the quiz game (unless you're fluent in Japanese). With the other two mini-games, they just flat-out suck. They walk in straight lines and turn on the spot in the paintball game while you're able to move much more freely with the joystick, and in the karaoke game, they run to a corner when they've got the microphone, while you could easily outrun them by circling around the seats and TV set (provided you don't get trapped between anyone and/or anything).
They are also easy particularly easy targets to steal energy from when they're not on a date. When they're extremely low on hygiene or stamina, they simply retreat to their home to bathe or rest up; when you are, though, provided you're not completely out of either, you can watch their arrows on the 2D map, see where they go, and prepare to attack one of them if you're able to.
And then there's the fact that, whenever they have item cards, they tend to attack whoever has the most points with anyone, rather than whoever their items will fuck up the most (or even when they will).
Unfortunately, given the eccentric way I tend to play video games in general, I am unfit to play just about anything together with other actual people, let alone this one which remains only in Japanese. Then again, people tend to move on with what kinds of games they play together, and in many cases (if not most), eventually abandon gaming altogether. Unlike Kiratto Kaiketsu: 64 Tanteidan, this isn't something either in which it would be practical to play as all four characters, what with too much stuff going on at a given time (usually on the 3D map and during minigames).
-----
I also don't like the fact that you, as the player, are not allowed to choose which house you live in, instead being confined to the one in the northwest corner. It is good that at least this means you don't have to toggle when using anything to promote yourself, but it would make this already random game even better if you had better access than others to different places by choosing your home. As it stands, though, you have the most immediate access to Itoh Mart, Chikashi (player 2) has the most access to China Hao Hao and Panda Amusement, Daisuke (player 3) has to Panda Park and Panda Municipal Library, and Sesshuu (player 4) can get to the School Ground before anyone else does beginning of each day. Among other things, this affects who has access to different cutscenes announced by Alfonso during the first week, which will matter if you want to see the cutscene in question or prevent someone else from seeing it.
-----
And finally, there's a glitch regarding your two energy bars. Normally, you're supposed to keep both of them more than barely full, or else any dates you engage in will fail automatically. If either of them are empty, you will be confined home until they're both filled up to some degree, regardless of all other circumstances.
That's not a problem in and of itself. The problem arises whenever someone goes on a date anyway (which they will if they can, since they run on artificial intelligence), and it goes through. I usually notice this happen with anyone dating Hana, but it sometimes happens with other girls as well... thankfully, including myself at least once.
-----
Now, one thing I do like about this game, is the vast assortment of items you can obtain. Usually, these are bought at the Information Center of Panda Department Store and (sometimes) at Panda Park, but there are also people who give them to you for free. Sometimes, that includes other players, which is especially odd in that there's nothing for anyone to gain by giving gifts to their opponents.
Some of these things are vital to your experience, while others are completely useless. For example, I've seen the other players use and even buy rumor and personality cards, but those don't seem to do anything. I usually use things like those only on anyone carrying an effect-cancelling card. On the other hand, you will want to buy Love Love cards and cards with which to access the beach or the Shinto shrine for a date whenever you can, since building up Love Love points is the key to winning this game. There are also a few fun ones, such as Pankichi and item-swapping cards, which are not really worth buying at the cost of more valuable stuff but totally worth using if you get one for free.
A class apart, there are also gifts that you can buy at the Panda Department Store. Unlike item cards, these are always fixed, but buying the right one for your girl and giving it to her well into the game will make the difference between 15 and 25 Love Love points. There are also gifts that any girl can give to you on a non-date encounter if she likes you enough; you do not want to give these back, although giving them to a different girl will interest that one (not that there's much point to that).
And then there's a particularly expensive item that you and your opponents will rarely have access to. This isn't listed in the only currently existing walkthrough as anyone's favorite gift to receive. You'd think this would be a Golden Snitch of sorts, but I once tried saving up for it, buying it, and giving it to someone, only to get the usual 15 points. (Then again, I didn't really focus on building a relationship with her for that game anyway, so there is that.)
You can only carry six things at a time. I tend to use them whenever it's most practical to, but if an AI-player has too many, they tend to throw something random away regardless of its value. That, I don't get.
-----
Another great thing about this game, is the random people you can encounter if you're the first person (barring Reika) to enter a given place. These include a hooker who will pay you 10,000 yen for a good time, at the cost of your reputation (I always say yes, unless I'm about to win the game anyway, since rumors don't seem to affect anything anyway); a cat who tries to steal items and might drop something instead if you're lucky; a street fighter who can either take a little bit of your health or boost your reputation; and a family that wants people to operate a jackhammer for 5,000 yen.
If you're lucky, though, you'll run into Alfonso (even if he's throwing a party at Cafe Liquid), who will then give you an item card. It's because of him that I generally make a point of being the first one to reach the door whenever I can. You'll especially want to meet him if you've got Reika getting in your case and no items with which to get rid of her, although you won't get an item if he instead sends her packing. (And no, you don't get a choice in such a case.)
With the cat and the fighter, you have three options to pick from as to what to do, but the actual outcome seems based entirely on luck. I usually just roll a die to decide what do do.
-----
And finally, there's Panda Town itself. There are all kinds of places you can go or set up dates for. Unfortunately, most of them serve no particular purpose other than to meet different girls depending on where you and they go. There are a total of twelve places you can set up a date for. The library requires you to date somewhere first, and bringing someone to your house not only requires you to really be going with it but can only be done once. Going to the beach or the shrine requires a respective, one-of-a-kind card which can only be bought at a store (or obtained from Reika, if you're really lucky), and can only be done once each. (If the date fails in some way the card is stolen by a cat, it will respawn though.)
This is one thing that the A.I. is actually better with than most human players would be. They seem to select completely randomly where they go. Many players, however, will more likely choose the same place over and over again, be it Panda Park (for items) or wherever their girl's special scene of choice can take place, or maybe choose somewhere based on strategy against their opponents. I, personally, tend to decide by rolling dice or looking at the second second-digit on my watch, in order to differentiate things. (Ditto for deciding where to go for each turn before the first party at Cafe Liquid or until I've got a relationship going with someone.)
-----
To sum it up, I like this game, because just about everything about it is completely randomized in a controlled way. Where each girl goes is random (within their favorite places to visit), whatever you can buy on a given turn is random, who you might run into somewhere is random, what Alfonso gives you when you meet him is random, nearly everything is always different. This makes for a game where no two playthroughs will be even remotely identical.
The whole time, I did plan on continuing Co7G, but that wouldn't happen until February 7, 2008, due to a certain game I discovered on Wikipedia's list of Nintendo 64 games, which had a rather unusual title, a sex-appeal-oriented cover, and just so happened to be released in Japan (and only there, quite ironically) on December 4, 1998.
And that game, was Getter Love!! Panda Love Unit!
-----
Well, it was yet another year from there before I bought my copy of the game on Ebay, to be saved for until I'd finish hosting each entry of Co7G the following summer, before I would commemorate with a marathon that would end up cutting into the following October. From there on, though, due to the amount of free time that I've had and still have from being unemployed, it's been something I play simply to kill time, such as when I'm waiting for responses to online messages I send.
-----
First thing I should mention, is that for whatever reason, if you're playing this on an emulator, you won't be able to see anyone's eyes or mouths most of the time, except for in cutscenes or any poses compatible with only one expression (such as when Meifa shouts at you or puts her hands together). It has mostly to do with emulators; the multi-system emulator Xe is supposed to have fixed that, but it's been defunct for a few years now. In any case, this is why many screenshots and gameplay videos feature characters without certain facial features; this does not happen on legitimate copies, and is exactly why I bought one instead of playing a ROM.
Sucks, too, since this game currently doesn't exist in any language other than Japanese. It would be nice to play a translated ROM version of this game, where I can actually understand what everyone says at any given time, and which would also enable anyone interested to write fanfiction. If you ask me, though, that wouldn't be really worth it at the cost of important features, unless one could write the translated text data onto a game pak. (Not that anyone's written anything anyway for most already fan-translated games, such as Wonder Project J2.)
-----
As for the actual game itself, I'm not gonna go into all the mechanics or the characters, just what's worth noting. But, in a nutshell, this game is for assholes! You need to be the first one to secure a relationship, and that means doing everything you can to screw with those of your opponents, who will also do the same kinds of stuff with you. Soil 'em up, wear 'em down, steal their shit, give 'em diarrhea so that they can't do anything worth a damn, cancel their dates, and do everything you can to make sure they don't say three certain words to anyone before you do.
The main objective (at least for Normal mode; I do understand that there are several multi-player modes) is to build up a relationship with one of seven girls within the span of two weeks (a total of 42 turns), and then be the first to confess your love to your girl of choice. Or, if you're going for the gusto, keep building up your relationship, and let her confess to you when you're not on a date, although AI players will not ever likely do this. Or, you can also "win" with a certain bad character if the game drags on for both weeks and no one is able to cash in with anyone.
Really, that last method results in a draw, but the above paragraph only covers for the game itself. Computer-controlled players have incentives only to try to win, but when you win, you save all scenes and whichever ending you've seen for that playthrough to a collection that you can build up. You don't even need a memory pak for it, although you do need one if you want to be able to save your game between each day.
What these are, are five cutscenes and four different endings for each main girl, plus one cutscene that you see when stalker Reika Kongouji finally leaves you alone after harassing you for three whole turns and the aforementioned ending with her. Reika aside, each girl has a cutscene announced by host Alfonso Roberto Martini during the first week of the game, one random cutscene if you take her to the right place on the map and get lucky, one if she invites you to her house, and one each at the beach and the local Shinto shrine. There are also fifty different topics that you can gain from certain people (or steal from anyone carrying it) to bring up during a date.
Personally, I prefer to clear all my data whenever I come back to the game after a period of not playing it, and also to play for a solid hour or to. They make things all the more challenging, which is kinds the point of playing a game to begin with. However, I might consider buying a working memory pak once I have a job and less free time on my hands.
-----
Starting with aspects I don't like about the game, there are the computer-controlled players, who naturally aren't as smart as you are. As one would expect, they run on a pre-determined code, but you can strategize and exploit them as you need to. They stand enough of a chance in the whack-a-nerd minigame (which takes place on random dates) and the quiz game (unless you're fluent in Japanese). With the other two mini-games, they just flat-out suck. They walk in straight lines and turn on the spot in the paintball game while you're able to move much more freely with the joystick, and in the karaoke game, they run to a corner when they've got the microphone, while you could easily outrun them by circling around the seats and TV set (provided you don't get trapped between anyone and/or anything).
They are also easy particularly easy targets to steal energy from when they're not on a date. When they're extremely low on hygiene or stamina, they simply retreat to their home to bathe or rest up; when you are, though, provided you're not completely out of either, you can watch their arrows on the 2D map, see where they go, and prepare to attack one of them if you're able to.
And then there's the fact that, whenever they have item cards, they tend to attack whoever has the most points with anyone, rather than whoever their items will fuck up the most (or even when they will).
Unfortunately, given the eccentric way I tend to play video games in general, I am unfit to play just about anything together with other actual people, let alone this one which remains only in Japanese. Then again, people tend to move on with what kinds of games they play together, and in many cases (if not most), eventually abandon gaming altogether. Unlike Kiratto Kaiketsu: 64 Tanteidan, this isn't something either in which it would be practical to play as all four characters, what with too much stuff going on at a given time (usually on the 3D map and during minigames).
-----
I also don't like the fact that you, as the player, are not allowed to choose which house you live in, instead being confined to the one in the northwest corner. It is good that at least this means you don't have to toggle when using anything to promote yourself, but it would make this already random game even better if you had better access than others to different places by choosing your home. As it stands, though, you have the most immediate access to Itoh Mart, Chikashi (player 2) has the most access to China Hao Hao and Panda Amusement, Daisuke (player 3) has to Panda Park and Panda Municipal Library, and Sesshuu (player 4) can get to the School Ground before anyone else does beginning of each day. Among other things, this affects who has access to different cutscenes announced by Alfonso during the first week, which will matter if you want to see the cutscene in question or prevent someone else from seeing it.
-----
And finally, there's a glitch regarding your two energy bars. Normally, you're supposed to keep both of them more than barely full, or else any dates you engage in will fail automatically. If either of them are empty, you will be confined home until they're both filled up to some degree, regardless of all other circumstances.
That's not a problem in and of itself. The problem arises whenever someone goes on a date anyway (which they will if they can, since they run on artificial intelligence), and it goes through. I usually notice this happen with anyone dating Hana, but it sometimes happens with other girls as well... thankfully, including myself at least once.
-----
Now, one thing I do like about this game, is the vast assortment of items you can obtain. Usually, these are bought at the Information Center of Panda Department Store and (sometimes) at Panda Park, but there are also people who give them to you for free. Sometimes, that includes other players, which is especially odd in that there's nothing for anyone to gain by giving gifts to their opponents.
Some of these things are vital to your experience, while others are completely useless. For example, I've seen the other players use and even buy rumor and personality cards, but those don't seem to do anything. I usually use things like those only on anyone carrying an effect-cancelling card. On the other hand, you will want to buy Love Love cards and cards with which to access the beach or the Shinto shrine for a date whenever you can, since building up Love Love points is the key to winning this game. There are also a few fun ones, such as Pankichi and item-swapping cards, which are not really worth buying at the cost of more valuable stuff but totally worth using if you get one for free.
A class apart, there are also gifts that you can buy at the Panda Department Store. Unlike item cards, these are always fixed, but buying the right one for your girl and giving it to her well into the game will make the difference between 15 and 25 Love Love points. There are also gifts that any girl can give to you on a non-date encounter if she likes you enough; you do not want to give these back, although giving them to a different girl will interest that one (not that there's much point to that).
And then there's a particularly expensive item that you and your opponents will rarely have access to. This isn't listed in the only currently existing walkthrough as anyone's favorite gift to receive. You'd think this would be a Golden Snitch of sorts, but I once tried saving up for it, buying it, and giving it to someone, only to get the usual 15 points. (Then again, I didn't really focus on building a relationship with her for that game anyway, so there is that.)
You can only carry six things at a time. I tend to use them whenever it's most practical to, but if an AI-player has too many, they tend to throw something random away regardless of its value. That, I don't get.
-----
Another great thing about this game, is the random people you can encounter if you're the first person (barring Reika) to enter a given place. These include a hooker who will pay you 10,000 yen for a good time, at the cost of your reputation (I always say yes, unless I'm about to win the game anyway, since rumors don't seem to affect anything anyway); a cat who tries to steal items and might drop something instead if you're lucky; a street fighter who can either take a little bit of your health or boost your reputation; and a family that wants people to operate a jackhammer for 5,000 yen.
If you're lucky, though, you'll run into Alfonso (even if he's throwing a party at Cafe Liquid), who will then give you an item card. It's because of him that I generally make a point of being the first one to reach the door whenever I can. You'll especially want to meet him if you've got Reika getting in your case and no items with which to get rid of her, although you won't get an item if he instead sends her packing. (And no, you don't get a choice in such a case.)
With the cat and the fighter, you have three options to pick from as to what to do, but the actual outcome seems based entirely on luck. I usually just roll a die to decide what do do.
-----
And finally, there's Panda Town itself. There are all kinds of places you can go or set up dates for. Unfortunately, most of them serve no particular purpose other than to meet different girls depending on where you and they go. There are a total of twelve places you can set up a date for. The library requires you to date somewhere first, and bringing someone to your house not only requires you to really be going with it but can only be done once. Going to the beach or the shrine requires a respective, one-of-a-kind card which can only be bought at a store (or obtained from Reika, if you're really lucky), and can only be done once each. (If the date fails in some way the card is stolen by a cat, it will respawn though.)
This is one thing that the A.I. is actually better with than most human players would be. They seem to select completely randomly where they go. Many players, however, will more likely choose the same place over and over again, be it Panda Park (for items) or wherever their girl's special scene of choice can take place, or maybe choose somewhere based on strategy against their opponents. I, personally, tend to decide by rolling dice or looking at the second second-digit on my watch, in order to differentiate things. (Ditto for deciding where to go for each turn before the first party at Cafe Liquid or until I've got a relationship going with someone.)
-----
To sum it up, I like this game, because just about everything about it is completely randomized in a controlled way. Where each girl goes is random (within their favorite places to visit), whatever you can buy on a given turn is random, who you might run into somewhere is random, what Alfonso gives you when you meet him is random, nearly everything is always different. This makes for a game where no two playthroughs will be even remotely identical.